fancy decorating

Today while I was babysitting and Dara was napping I snagged a Pottery Barn Kids magazine off the counter. The cover had adorable children in Halloween costumes so I assumed it was a Holiday Special issue - I was right. As I flipped through the pages of gorgeously decorated homes filled with happy, beautiful families all I could think of was "Wow, when can this be my life?" Then I happened to look up at the TV and caught a teaser for Oprah's episode later this afternoon with Martha Stewart. The connection? Perfection.

What places like Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and my favorite, Ralph Lauren sell lifestyles, not just products. On the Thanksgiving page of Pottery Barn there's a tablecloth with a "prayer" embroidered around the edges and place card holders shaped like the Mayflower. It was adorable and I immediately wanted to buy one tablecloth and 6 mini-Mayflowers. Then I saw the prices and immediately rejected the idea. The sets make you forget that children's Thanksgiving tables should not be covered in WHITE tablecloths for obvious reasons.

Oprah was in awe of Martha's simple tips today, as was the whole audience (including my mom and I). Martha's home in Maine has a flower room and like 7 wall refrigerators. In the kitchen there were 2 sous chefs, who work for her company, helping her prepare a salad. It looked beautiful in the end but really? 3 people were needed to make that? There was also a flower arranger in the flower room who helped her make a beautiful display by trimming all of the stems before he handed them to her. Again, I ask, Really?

Writing this blog is when it clicked. Pottery Barn, Ralph Lauren and Restoration Hardware catalogs are a lot like what Martha's behind the scenes at home was like. Though they appear to be snapshots of perfect lives where everything is beautiful and runs smoothly and everyone is happy, they're actually staffed by a hundred other people behind the scenes. In order for our lives to be perfect like Christmas morning portrayed in PB kids we'd need 5 sous chefs preparing our glistening feast while we delightedly open neatly wrapped presents with our cute children in their matching pjs while the well-groomed dog sits quietly by the fire. It is such a beautiful image but so unattainable.

My Christmas mornings are perfect and they look nothing like an advertisement. (Maybe for Hefty garbage bags because of the enormous piles or wrapping paper strewn everywhere. 6 people is a lot to buy for.) But, I'm willing to bet that on Christmas morning, as the minutes are ticking by and you're smiling your face off, you're thinking that no moment could be more perfect. You're not thinking "I wish I had stacked the presents a little neater." or "Why can't the kids just sit still?" No, the perfection in our human moments comes from being so incredibly grateful for what we have in those magical moments like Christmas morning.

(But it really would be great to have some sous-chefs to cook the dinner so you could enjoy a few holiday specials on TV with the family.) We can all dream right Martha?